-
Article
Open AccessCross section measurement of the \(^{12}\) C(p, \(\gamma \) ) \(^{13}\) N reaction with activation in a wide energy range
The CNO cycle is one of the fundamental processes of hydrogen burning in stars. The first reaction of the cycle is the radiative proton capture on ...
-
Article
Open AccessFirst direct limit on the 334 keV resonance strength in \(^{22}\) Ne( \(\alpha \) , \(\gamma \) ) \(^{26}\) Mg reaction
In stars, the fusion of \(^{22}\) 22 ...
-
Article
The baryon density of the Universe from an improved rate of deuterium burning
Light elements were produced in the first few minutes of the Universe through a sequence of nuclear reactions known as Big Bang nucleosynthesis (BBN)1,2. Among the light elements produced during BBN1,2, deuterium...
-
Article
Setup commissioning for an improved measurement of the D(p,\(\gamma \))\(^3\)He cross section at Big Bang Nucleosynthesis energies
Among the reactions involved in the production and destruction of deuterium during Big Bang Nucleosynthesis, the deuterium-burning D(p,\(\gamma \)γ)\(^3\)3He reaction has the largest uncertainty and limits the pr...
-
Article
A new approach to monitor \(^{13}\hbox {C}\)-targets degradation in situ for \(^{13}\hbox {C}(\alpha ,\hbox {n})^{16}\hbox {O}\) cross-section measurements at LUNA
Direct measurements of reaction cross-sections at astrophysical energies often require the use of solid targets able to withstand high ion beam currents for extended periods of time. Thus, monitoring target th...
-
Article
A high-efficiency gas target setup for underground experiments, and redetermination of the branching ratio of the 189.5 keV 22Ne(p, \(\gamma\) )23Na resonance
The experimental study of nuclear reactions of astrophysical interest is greatly facilitated by a low-background, high-luminosity setup. The Laboratory for Underground Nuclear Astrophysics (LUNA) 400kV acceler...
-
Article
Origin of meteoritic stardust unveiled by a revised proton-capture rate of 17O
Stardust grains recovered from meteorites provide high-precision snapshots of the isotopic composition of the stellar environment in which they formed1. Attributing their origin to specific types of stars, howeve...
-
Article
Underground nuclear astrophysics: Why and how
The goal of nuclear astrophysics is to measure cross-sections of nuclear physics reactions of interest in astrophysics. At stars temperatures, these cross-sections are very low due to the suppression of the Co...
-
Article
Resonance strengths in the 17,18O(p, α)14,15N reactions and background suppression underground
We report on measurements of resonance strengths and energies for the \( E_{p} = 151\) and 193 keV resonances in the 18
-
Article
Cosmic-ray-induced background intercomparison with actively shielded HPGe detectors at underground locations
The main background above 3MeV for in-beam nuclear astrophysics studies with \( \gamma\) -ray detectors is caused by cos...
-
Article
A new study of the 22Ne(p, γ)23Na reaction deep underground: Feasibility, setup and first observation of the 186 keV resonance
The 22Ne(p,γ)23Na reaction takes part in the neon-sodium cycle of hydrogen burning. This cycle is active in asymptotic giant branch stars as well as in novae and contributes to the nucleosythesis of neon and sodi...
-
Article
Neutron-induced background by an α-beam incident on a deuterium gas target and its implications for the study of the 2H(α,γ)6Li reaction at LUNA
The production of the stable isotope 6Li in standard Big Bang nucleosynthesis has recently attracted much interest. Recent observations in metal-poor stars suggest that a cosmological 6Li plateau may exist. If tr...
-
Article
Preparation and characterisation of isotopically enriched Ta2O5 targets for nuclear astrophysics studies
The direct measurement of reaction cross-sections at astrophysical energies often requires the use of solid targets of known thickness, isotopic composition, and stoichiometry that are able to withstand high b...
-
Article
Half-life measurement of 133mCe with \( \gamma\) -spectrometry
In this paper we describe our experiment determining the half-life of 133mCe . An activation-based nuclear-reaction cross-section measurement has been carried out for the 130Ba(
-
Article
An actively vetoed Clover \( \gamma\) -detector for nuclear astrophysics at LUNA
An escape-suppressed, composite high-purity germanium detector of the Clover type has been installed at the Laboratory for Underground Nuclear Astrophysics (LUNA) facility, deep underground in the Gran Sasso L...
